


Dear Leader

by HanaritsuKrizza



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Arashi For Ever, Gen, Thank You Arashi, Thank You Ohno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:34:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28435458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HanaritsuKrizza/pseuds/HanaritsuKrizza
Summary: At the end of This is 嵐 LIVE, Ohno received a handwritten letter backstage. The penmanship composed of four different styles and the signature part was left blank, but he knew exactly who wrote which the moment he read it.
Relationships: Arashi-Friendship
Kudos: 16





	Dear Leader

* * *

..

_Dear Leader,_

_This is not a farewell, there is no way this will be a farewell, so I won't become melodramatic over it, I (we) only want to get some stuffs off of my mind._

_You are well aware that I dislike working to some extent and I know you do too, which is why some fans think we are extremely compatible in that sense. But it is also a fact that my work in Arashi is something that I am distinctly fond of. When it is an activity with the four of you, no matter how arduous, work will turn fun._

_I am going to miss it._

_Dance rehearsals and voice recordings are awfully tiring and time consuming, yet I am going to miss them. Concert and live meetings that are seemingly endless are also the bane of my gaming time, yet I am going to miss them. Years and years of filming the regular programs, magazine photo shoots, and promotional presentations are strenuous and draining, yet I am going to miss them._

_But what I am going to miss the most is the time all five of us spends in the green room._

_Leader, I am going to miss seeing your unmoving state in the sofa, your sleeping form in the meeting room, and your nonspeaking mode in the filming set. I am going to miss talking and laughing with you between long hours of recording and I am going to miss sticking to you in a way that has become natural for everyone._

_It is the same for the other three but I am truthfully going to miss working with you, Leader, and I am going to look forward to the day that I will find you by my side again with the cameras rolling around us five._

_For the past months since we had that conference, my sentiments towards work haven't changed, it was still the same as all those years ago. But as the last day came closer and closer, the feeling of melancholy have started to creep into me. The sadness is unexpectedly overwhelming, yet I figure that this is inevitable because I love Arashi in all respects._

_Thank you for your hard work and I hope you have plenty of rest._

_By the way, your place is only ten minutes away from the jimusho, so please expect me to stay over from time to time. You have a good wifi connection, right?_

_I'm refusing to accept that along with the group's suspension of activities, the Sweets Club will also come to a halt. If it's necessary that I'll bring the goods to your place by myself, then I'll definitely do it. It's okay to make it a Sweets Circle for a while, it's even okay to make it a simple Sweets Fellowship, but we have to continue practicing our routine. There's no point if I'm the only one, there's no point if you're not there, because as a club member, Oh-chan is the only one that I'm ever going to acknowledge as my buchou._

_While I'm at it, I think I may also bring some harvests and crops from Manabu that we can cook in your place. I'll make a sushi exclusively for you again, as a service, and we can try to copy the recipes of the food that we ate when you guested on the show._

_I'm absolutely going to pursue that camping segment for my next venture so I need to hear a few tips from you. It'll be a good opportunity to use and brag the knife that you gave me. And then some other time, just the two of us, let's go do that camping trip that you love so much. I promise I'll clear my schedule just for that._

_Oh-chan, I'm going to miss seeing your adorable face on TV, but I guess I'll just have to get by with seeing it in person._

_You did say you're going to watch over me, you're going to watch over us, didn't you? I'm going to do my best and continue working to the fullest since I know that you'll always be there to support us._

_I'm very glad that you're Arashi's leader. Thank you for your hard work._

_I'll invite the other three to guest in VS Damashi, so don't miss it, okay?_

_I have said this before and I will say it again; Arashi has become like this—sensational, notable and cherished—because Arashi's leader is you. While it is true that you lack some traits of a typical leader, a big factor of Arashi becoming Japan's national idol group is indeed thanks to you._

_Sometimes, your work ethics are questionable and your motivation is clearly terribly lacking, but when it comes to your performances on stage, even I get amaze with your professionalism. I guess in this sense, the two of us both are a perfectionist. I think people have that impression of me, but not with you. Why are you so strict to yourself, anyway?_

_I really admire your dancing skills, nonetheless, and all the flawless and effortless way that you exhibit the sequence of steps and movements for every Arashi's dance. Even those splendid and enjoyable choreography dances that you spent grueling hours to form and arrange have become something that I (we) came to look forward to in every concert. I know that you think about each stride, each formation and each projection very thoroughly so I have my full confidence in leaving it all to you. Honestly, I get really thrilled whenever you come up a choreography for the group._

_Have I told you that you look really cool when you sing? Since junior days, I have always found your singing abilities excellent. Solo songs aside, your solo parts in most of Arashi songs have surely been a treat to hear. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that your singing voice has brought our music to the top._

_Ohno-san, there probably is still some guilt lingering in your mind concerning the cause of Arashi's hiatus, but I'm telling you, there is not need for that._

_This is a decision that we all made after deliberating and considering it several times. This is a decision that we all agreed on, so free yourself from any guilt and make use of your time and freedom in the best way that you can. Besides, because of the hiatus, I have also earned plenty of free time. How about we go on a vacation?_

_I'm not going to completely suspend my works and projects, but I'm going to take it slowly from here on, and since you will technically become jobless and unoccupied, I will have you keep me company. I will have a take on art again and I need to learn some techniques from you so let me come over often, okay?_

_Thank you for working so hard all this time, Ohno-san. Let's stay fit and healthy._

_I still want to have your calves, make sure to keep them in shape, okay?_

_You are the first person I looked up to when I came to Johnny's. Even now, I still look up to you and I believe it will never change, my respect for you will never fade. You say that you always depend on me, but it has been the other way around. Since back then, you have always been a big brother to me and I rely on you a lot._

_Many people seem to regard me as the leader, but all four of us are convinced that you are the only one suited for this position. I have said it many times, but your tenderness and kindness have led the group together, your presence comforts us and your aura heals us._

_Nii-san, it is one of my biggest regret to not know that you were suffering inside all these years._

_The way you have interacted with us was the same as always. The way you have faced your work every day was also just like the usual. And the way you have spent your private time was not out of the ordinary. So it came as a shock for me to know that deep inside, you are carrying a burden that has been suffocating you and strangling you to the point of weariness._

_Thinking about our group's hiatus put me in desolate, but what makes me even sadder is the fact that you have been in distress while agonizing this thing on your own._

_You have been enduring it all this time and the main reason perhaps is your responsibility to the group. You gave yourself to the group and sacrificed your freedom. There are very likely a lot of things that us four won't understand—your hardships, your worries, your concerns. We do not think alike all the time and there are instances that you probably do not agree with something, but you still accept it and take part in it all for the sake of the group._

_I am sorry, nii-san, I am sorry that it has been that way, but I am also immensely grateful that you have been with us up to this point._

_We did our best to leave behind a legacy and I am certain that fans will remember it for a long time, so please rest as much as you need and as much as you want. Do not worry about anything and just live your life however you want it. No matter what, I will always be on your side (and so will the other three)._

_Thank you so much for everything that you have done for the group. Thank you so much for being our leader._

_On your Memorial Hall episode in Shiyagare, you told us to invite you since you will be free. Nii-san, I hope you are serious because I am already squeezing it in between my schedule for the next weeks and months._

By the end of the letter, Ohno was filled with an enormous amount of gratitude , warmth and love. The next time he would meet them, he would give them a hug so tight they wouldn't be able to forget it. He was very, _very_ glad to be in Arashi.

..

* * *

**_-krizza-_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Leader, you are and will always be the best. My love and devotion for you will never end.


End file.
